1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to facility accessibility, and in particular to an interactive system and method for providing directions and emergency assistance to facility users, including users with disabilities.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The built environment includes both public and private sector facilities which are utilized for residential, occupational, commercial, educational, healthcare, entertainment, institutional, governmental and other purposes. Buildings of various types have a wide range of different configurations., which can make it difficult for users to locate particular destinations therein. Users of such facilities tend to rely on existing systems and devices, such as building directories, for directional assistance.
Building directories are commonly placed at convenient locations for reference by visitors seeking particular destinations within the buildings. The lobbies of many commercial and institutional buildings include such building directories, which typically list the occupants or tenants and their room or office numbers. However, building directories generally provide only limited information, such as a room or office number matched with a corresponding occupant's or tenant's name. Many existing building directories lack specific, detailed directions to destinations within the buildings in which they are located. Such directories are of limited use to users who are unfamiliar with the buildings in which they are located. Consequently, first-time visitors often get lost or disorientated or waste time seeking destinations in unfamiliar facilities.
Another common type of directional assistance device found in many facilities includes a graphic display, such as a floor plan, with various locations, destinations and travel paths depicted thereon. Such graphical displays are typically located at accessible locations in lobbies, foyers, corridors, etc. However, many prior art graphical displays were essentially static, i.e. lacking interaction with users. Moreover, many graphical displays include two-dimensional printed floor plans of the facilities in which they are installed, and thus require an ability on the user's part to read and interpret a floor plan in order to find a particular destination. Such displays thus provide only limited contributions to improving accessibility. They are often unusable by disabled users, particularly those with vision disabilities.
Large commercial facilities commonly have reception and information accommodations occupied by receptionists and security personnel. Although personal interaction with a receptionist or a security guard may have advantages from the user's point of view, salaries and other expenses associated with receptionists and security personnel can add significantly to operating costs. The costs associated with such personnel are often prohibitive, particularly in the case of smaller facilities which may be unable to afford personnel with reception and security responsibilities.
In many cases it is more efficient to obtain information directly from an automated system as opposed to engaging a receptionist or a security officer in dialog. Moreover, an automated system is often better suited for storing and retrieving large amounts of data corresponding to directional information associated with a large number of destinations in a large facility.
Modern facilities often include life safety systems for assisting with evacuation and for summoning assistance in the event of a fire or some other emergency. Various types of emergency lighting, audible alarms and communication devices are typically installed. Such life safety equipment is often mandated by the applicable building codes. However, interaction with disabled users is limited for many existing life safety systems.
Heretofore there has not been a facility access system and method with disabled user assistance with the advantages and features of the present invention.